Changing A Child's Last Name After Divorce or Separation

By Laura Fishman on January 26, 2011 9:57 AM

A parent may want to legally change his or her child’s last name after the custodial parent goes through divorce or separation. The process of a child name change might sound simple, but can actually be very complex if both parents are not in agreement about the change of name.

People Magazine reports that the celebrity teen mother Bristol Palin from “Dancing With the Stars” is seeking to change the name of her 2-year-old son from Tripp Johnston to Tripp Palin. The 20-year-old mother who hails from Alaska recently moved to Maricopa, Arizona, so it is likely that she would be dealing with her baby’s name change and other family court proceedings in the Grand Canyon state.

Palin reportedly said on KWHL’s “The Bob & Mark Show” that she has asked her baby’s father Levi Johnston to sign over his custody rights, but claims that he has refused to do so. She also stated that she was willing to do without child support contributions if Johnston would just sign away his parental rights.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, R9-19-118 of the Arizona Administrative Code requires a court order to change the name of a child that is more than a year old. The court may approve the child’s name change even if one parent objects to the change. However, a family court judge might be reluctant to change a child’s name when one parent raises objections, especially if the parent has kept and maintained a relationship with the child.

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The Phoenix Family Law News Blog focuses on news stories and legal matters that pertain to family law in the Grand Canyon State. Through this blog, readers can learn more about legal issues surrounding adoption, divorce, child custody, marriage, alimony, and many other family law topics in Arizona’s Urban Heart. While it could be difficult to cope with family law matters, the Phoenix Family Law News blog can help families by keeping Arizonians aware about family law developments and by putting people in touch with Phoenix family lawyers. Have a comment or tip? Write to us.